A financial analyst, Dr Amos Anim has commended the Bank of Ghana for providing financing to keep the government machinery running.
Dr Amos Anim indicated that the BoG overdraft will go a long to help the country as the government seeks a programme under the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“It is a fact that, but for the Bank of Ghana (BoG) overdraft to the Ministry of Finance, payments of salaries would have been difficult.
Dr Anim further explained that because government is paying debts, it needs funds to ensure payment of salaries.
In his view, even Members of Parliament would not have been able to receive their salaries but for the overdraft.
“Without BOG overdraft nobody would have received salaries including parliament,” he said in an exclusive interview with 3news.com on Sunday.
“You can imagine what will happen in this country if government workers aren’t paid their salaries.The BoG overdraft has ensured that no chaotic situation happens .Government machinery working smoothly.”
“We are all aware that the execution of the budget for the year has remained challenging. Revenue has not kept pace with projections and created financing challenges. In the absence of access to the international capital market and given the constrained domestic financing, central bank overdraft has helped to close the financing gap as reflected in the mid-year budget review,” he further said in a separate write up.
He made these comments in reaction to a press engagement by the Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo, who accused the Bank of Ghana for financing government.
“Hon.Adongo is a member of the Finance Committee in Parliament. I don’t expect him to be making this statement. He knows and is aware of the current situation. As a member of the Finance Committee, he is aware of the issues. ”
“Hon. Adongo is aware that without BoG overdraft, he wouldn’t receive salary. ”
“We expect our honourable MPs to be patriotic and support initiatives that will promote the good of the people of Ghana. ”
“ Parliament is in session now. I am very sure the Ministry of Finance at the appropriate time will engage Parliament on the overdraft .”
The Minister of Works and Housing, Francis Asenso Boakye has said the funds that will be generated from the sale of the Saglemi Housing project will be reinvested into another affordable Housing project.
He announced the government’s intention to explore the sale of the Saglemi Housing project to private sector investors for completion on Sunday November 13.
This is at no cost to the State and to reinvest the proceeds of the transaction into other affordable housing projects, he said.
Addressing a press conference Accra, he said the decision was taken after a painstaking consultation verification and assessment.
The Bantama lawmaker said “After a painstaking period of assessment, verifications and consultations government has decided to explore the possibility of selling the Saglemi Housing project, covering the 1506 housing unit , at the current value to private sector entity to complete and sell at no further cost to the state.
“Proceeds from the sale will come to the state and reinvested into affordable Housing project.
“To facilitate the process a technical working team has been set up, comprising professionals and experts to oversee and spearheads all engagements required for the completion of the project.”
The project was initiated in 2012 for the delivery of 5000 housing units at a total cost of 200,000,000 under and Engineering-Procurement-Contracting (EPC) Agreement with Messrs Construtora OAS Ghana Limited.
By the end of the stipulated completion date the original contract of the project had been amended three times with the project scope reducing from the initial 5000 housing units to 1506housin units although $195,854969.52 representing 98 % of the project funds had been expended, he further stated.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) after months of internal party processes successfully held its Regional Executives elections over the weekend.
With the exception of the Bono East, Ahafo and Eastern Regions where the polls were put on hold by the Functional Executive Committee of the party over some yet-to-be-resolved issues, the exercise was organized in the remaining 13 regions during the three-day event which began on Friday, November 11 through to Sunday, November 13, 2022.
Elections in the Eastern Region will be held next weekend. That of the Bono East and Ahafo regions will be determined later according to the party.
While some incumbents retained their positions, others failed in their re-election bids giving new entrants the opportunities to run the affairs of the party at the regional level.
Following the declaration of results across the regions where elections took place, below is the outcome of the NDC regional executives elections.
GREATER ACCRA REGION
Chairman
1. Michael Tetteh Kwetey – 297
2. Kobina Ade-Coker – 222
3. Kojo Obeng Berkoh – 4
4. Emmanuel Nii Ashie-Moore – 327
5. Thomas Mustapha Ashong – 147
Rejected – 1
Vice Chairman
1. William Vinyo
2. Ibrahim Mahama Jajah
Secretary
1. Theophilus Tetteh Chaie – 720
2. Victor Quarshie Adonoo – 281
Deputy Secretary
1. Patricia Naa Akuyea Addy- 481
2. Baba Abu Abdulai – 306
3. Godwin Mahama Ayaba – 212
Rejected – 1
Organiser
1. Anthony Nukpenu – 595
2. Fiifi Taylor – 404
Rejected – 1
Deputy Organizer
1. Ibrahim Musah- 84
2. Kabu Saint Emmanuel – 121
3. Dickson Mawuko Lekey – 102
4. Gambo Abdulai Zam-Atu – 691
Rejected – 1
Valid votes – 998
Treasurer
1. Mohammed Norgan – 593
2. Akunkel Mbilla Regina Samira – 404
Rejected : 1
Valid vote 997
Deputy Treasurer
1. Kennedy Hedoe – 607
2. Augustine Edem Viduku – 230
3. Amegashie Abla Happy – 156
Rejected – 2
Valid votes – 993
Communication Officer
1. Jerry Johnson – 527
2. Emmanuel Nii Ayitefio Abola Mettle-Nunoo Jnr – 470
Deputy Communication
1. Simon Kweku Tetteh – 486
2. Lawrence Roland Arthur-Atitiani – 135
3. Tony Addison Dodoo – 377
Zongo Caucus Coordinator
1. Ismaila Horoya Ali – 411
2. Mualim Alhassan – 294
3. Stephen Mohammed Ashkar – 240
4. Muhammed Liman Nii Noi Nortey – 54
Rejected – 2
Valid vote – 999
OTI REGION
CHAIRMAN
1. John Kwadwo Gyapong – 162 ELECT
2. Fato Kwame Nicholas – 154
VICE CHAIRMAN
1. Maxwell Siaw
2. Francis Kpebu – unopposed
SECRETARY
1. Dennis Ofori Asiedu – 45
2. Gado Yakubu Ninsaw – 121
3. Lemboe Gabriel Samora -148 ELECT
DEPUTY SECRETARY
1. Abraham Boafo – unopposed
ORGANIZER
1. Michael Jojo Botwe – 91
2. Sulemana Abdul Mumuni – 181 ELECT
3. Tanko Mohammed Abubakar – 46
DEPUTY ORGANIZER
1. Agbeko Emmanuel – 101
2. Dr. Fred Adams Alpha – 109
3. Julius Ahotor – 64
4. Peter Kwaku Tadri – 40
Deputy Youth Organizer
1. ABDUL HAKEEM MAHAMA-28
2. ERNEST DZEPE-7
3. SAMUEL AMOAH-14
4. MARTIN WOKU ANLIMAH-2
5. MATTHEW ANNAN BASSAW-2
6. BERNARD OTOO JANNOR-6
7.COLLINGTINN.E.MACLEAN-0
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, Saturday co-chaired the first ministerial meeting of the Forests and Climate Leaders’ Partnership with the United States’ Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, Secretary John Kerry, at the ongoing COP27 in Sharm El- Sheikh, Eqypt.
The meeting, attended by 28 ministers and five observer countries, was to develop a framework for 2023 and beyond, to achieve the objectives of the Partnership.
Mr Jinapor pledged the Government’s commitment to working with members of the Partnership to deliver on forests and nature-based solutions to climate change.
He gave the assurance of using his leadership on the new Partnership to showcase Ghana’s climate actions and that of other countries as they synergise to work on addressing forest losses.
Forests and nature-based solutions could deliver up to a third of global climate solutions, and “Ghana, as a respected member of the international community, is fully committed to supporting global climate action,” he said.
The Forests and Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP) is a new political forum that brings together governments and partners to implement solutions to reduce forest losses, increase restoration, and support sustainable development.
It creates a platform for heads of state, governments and their ministers to combine political efforts to accelerate global action to halt and reverse forest losses and land degradation by 2030.
The members work towards delivering sustainable development and promoting an inclusive rural transformation.
In the next five years, Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF) will deploy GH¢1.5 billion to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) while accelerating their growth, the Chief Executive Officer of the VCTF, Yaw Owusu-Brempong, has revealed.
This, the CEO said, has become necessary given the significant role SMEs play in the country, but faces serious challenges when it comes to funding.
In an interview with the B&FT following the signing ceremony of investment agreements for MIREPA SME Fund and WANGRA Green Ventures, the CEO indicated that the VCTF stands to increase the capital pool to the SMEs sector.
“Over the next five years, VCTF intends to deploy GH¢1.5 billion to support SMEs. With this amount, we intend to leverage about GH¢5 for every GH¢1 spent, thereby increasing the capital pool to SMEs to about GH¢7.5 billion.
This is an ambitious plan and calls for all key stakeholders in the finance industry and other international agencies to partner with the Trust Fund to make this plan a reality,” Mr. Owusu-Brempong said.
The VCTF investment agreement, signed with MIREPA SME Fund and WANGRA Green Ventures – venture capital (VC) Fund Managers, will deploy GH¢35 million to SMEs in Ghana. This makes total capital deployment toward SME finance to GH¢60 million in under 2 months this year.
“We intend to deploy about GH¢95 million by year-end, so stay tuned,” the CEO assured.
VCTF has been recapitalised under the Ghana Economic Transformation Project by World Bank with US$40 million to invest in both early-stage and transformational sectors of the Ghanaian economy in addition to a technical assistance facility of US$5 million, which allows the Trust Fund to design programmes for the development of the VC ecosystem.
Between 2006 and 2020, VCTF committed about US$25 million to seven funds.
“If you look at the fact that between 2006 and 2020, we’ve done a total of seven funds or we’ve committed to seven funds, and this year alone, we’ve done three, then, that is a significant growth. We’ve committed roughly about US$25 million but at different exchange rates because it’s over a period of time,” Mr. Owusu-Brempong noted.
“By these investments, VCTF has demonstrated its willingness to back and build a talented group of young individuals who are able to combine industry and operational know-how with growth investment expertise to partner exciting SMEs and talented groups of entrepreneurs in strategic sectors of the Ghanaian economy,” he said.
Some successful investments include Joyce Ababio Fashion, Axis Pension Fund, African University College of Communications (AUCC), Legacy Girls, Rising Sun Montessori, Everpure Ghana as well as Scientellect DNA Diagnostic Centre and Caltech – an ethanol processing business – which was later taken over by Kasapreko.
“We are very selective in our choice of fund managers because VC investment is not about managing money, it is about managing several businesses at the same time; so you need skills that cut from investment to entrepreneurship, leadership and a general understanding of the business environment, and the kinds of support to give to businesses to thrive,” the CEO mentioned.
He assured that VCTF will continue to support further development of the VC/PE ecosystem through its technical assistance facility.
Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has reaffirmed Ghana’s strong commitment to promoting clean cooking anchored on its 2030 agenda of 50% of its population having access to LPG.
Dr. Prempeh was speaking on the 10th November, at a Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Clean Fuels Solutions for Cooking Event which is part of the 2nd Middle East Green Initiative on the margins of COP 27 ongoing at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
The event was under the patronage of His Royal Highness Mohammed Bin Salman, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Minister said Ghana’s strategy for clean cooking is to improve the efficiency of cooking fuels production, transportation to markets, value addition and promotion of efficient end-user technologies. He said by the end of 2030, Ghana will reduce the use of firewood and charcoal for cooking to below 30% which will improve our overall carbon footprint.
He added that the country will also increase access to LPG for household use to 50% from 36.9% at 2021 and provide LPG for commercial catering particularly in schools and other Government institutions.
The Minister who is also Member of Parliament for Manhyia South said as the demand for clean cooking solutions is growing, there is the need to turn attention to the efficient exploitation of the natural resources that are required for the clean cooking ecosystem.
“We need effective coordination and transparent accounting systems to unlock the enormous carbon financing opportunities and drive investment into the clean cooking sector” he said.
The current disruption in the global supply chain due to COVID-19 and other geopolitical challenges, according to the Minister makes it imperative to bring clean cooking interventions closer to markets.
He therefore called for the need to develop local capacity along the entire value chain to support the catalytic growth of the clean cooking industry globally.
“Ghana is building capacity through a number of technical cooperations including the GIZ-TVET, the Senior High Schools Renewable Energy Challenge which have triggered interest in research and development and innovation in renewable energy and clean cooking solutions for the Ghanaian market and beyond. With support from the World Bank, Ghana is developing the National Clean Cooking Strategy and Investment Prospectus to provide the framework for the promotion and development of the industry” he said.
He continued “Ghana with support from the World Bank successfully launched the result-based National LPG Promotion Programme on September 6th, 2022. The objective of the programme is to provide government interventions that would accelerate the switch from unclean fuels to LPG in a bid to achieve the goal of 50 per cent access by 2030.
“Government will distribute about 2million LPG stoves and install LPG cooking systems in institutions that cook on a large scale under this programme. These interventions complementing the Cylinder Recirculation Model will enable Ghana reach its targets aforementioned.”
Dr. Prempeh indicated Ghana’s readiness for cooperations and partnerships to scale up Ghana’s National LPG Promotion and Improved Cookstoves Promotion Programmes.
Dignitaries at this function included Dr. Baomintsvotse Vahinals, Chief of Staff at the Office of the President of Madagascar, H.E. Ibrahim Yacoubou, Minister for Energy and Renewable Energy of Niger, H.E Sophie Gladima, Minister for Energy and Petroleum of Senegal and a host of other dignitaries on the African continent.
The Government of Ghana’s weekly Treasury bills has been under subscribed again.
This will be the fifth consecutive time the government has missed its target of the auction of Treasury bills this year.
However, interest rates have kept rising even though it is still below the current inflation rate.
The target for the November 11 auction was GH¢2,060 million but the government secured GH¢1977.41 million.
The interest rate for the 91-day bills stood at 34.39%. For the 182-day bill, interest rates stood at 35.49% whiles the interest rate for the 364-day bill stood at 35.07%.
The 91-day treasury bills received GH¢1.827.52 million bids whiles the 182-day treasury bills received bids worth GH¢142.03 million of which all bids were accepted.
The 364-day T-bills received GH¢7.86.
The latest data from the Ghana Statistical Service showed that Ghana’s current inflation stands at 40.4% signifying a negative return on the investment. Meanwhile, the government is targeting GH¢1,168 million in its next auction.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana upstream petroleum chamber, David Ampofo has called on various players in the country’s energy sector to focus attention and more resources on local gas production.
This, he says, is necessary to strengthen the sector and also cut down on the amount of foreign reserve that is used to import gas.
As of June 2021, the total amount of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) imported into Ghana reached 7.49 million U.S. dollars.
David Ampofo made the call on the sidelines at the maiden Ghana oil and gas conference organized by his outfit.
Mr. Ampofo said ” We need to harness our GAS, Ghana has a lot of Natural GAS yet we do not do much with it”.
He admitted it was an area that required heavy capital yet is maintained it is an important activity to undertake like “the advocacy for the curbing of rice imports, we are being urged to grow our own rice and it is the same with gas especially in the current economic times”
Ghana is said to have a lot of gas that comes with the discovery of crude oil yet there is the need to invest in infrastructure like pipelines and gas lines to harness this resource.
The government is pleading with Labour Unions threatening strike to consider the current economic challenges before making demands.
The University Teachers Association of Teachers, the Ghana Medical Association, the Universities Senior Staff Association among others have all declared intentions to strike over issues concerning their conditions of service.
But speaking to Citi News, Deputy Employment and Labour Relations Minister, Bright Wereko-Brobby said the atmosphere is not conducive for strikes.
“We are not in normal times, so I am pleading with all our labour unions including UTAG, including the Senior Staff Association and university administrators and all of those groups to bear with us,” he said.
Amid the economic crisis, the government has faced calls for improved remuneration by organised labour.
The government in July 2022 agreed on a 15 percent cost of living allowance for members of organised labour.
The various worker unions, including the four teacher unions, the Ghana Medical Association, and the Public Sector Workers Union, among others, demanded the payment of 20 percent of their basic salaries as Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) due to the current economic situation in the country.
Negotiations dragged on for over two weeks, compelling some unions to strike and insist on their demands.
But after a crunch meeting, both parties came to a conclusion on a 15% COLA, took retrospective effect from July 1, 2022.
The Interbank forex rates from the Bank of Ghana today, November 14, 2022, have shown that the Ghana Cedi is trading against the dollar at a buying price of 13.0694 and a selling price of 13.0824.
As compared to Friday’s trading of a buying price of 13.0694 and a selling price of 13.0824. At a forex bureau in Accra, the dollar is being bought at a rate of 14.20 and sold at a rate of 14.80.
Against the Pound Sterling, the Cedi is trading at a buying price of 15.4179 and a selling price of 15.4347 as compared to Friday’s trading of a buying price of 15.2572 and a selling price of 15.2751.
At a forex bureau in Accra, the pound sterling is being bought at a rate of 15.90 and sold at a rate of 16.70.
The Euro is trading at a buying price of 13.5079 and a selling price of 13.5214 as compared to Friday’s trading of a buying price of 13.2983 and a selling price of 13.3104.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Euro is being bought at a rate of 13.80 and sold at a rate of 14.70.
The South African Rand is trading at a buying price of 0.7563 and a selling price of 0.7570 compared to Friday’s trading of a buying price of 0.7490 and a selling price of 0.7498.
At a forex bureau in Accra, South African Rand is being bought at a rate of 0.65 and sold at a rate of 1.10.
The Nigerian Naira is trading at a buying price of 33.8799 and a selling price of 33.9839 as compared to Friday’s trading of a buying price of 33.8835 and a selling price of 34.0337.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Nigerian Naira is being bought at a rate of 16.00 Naira for every 1 Cedi and sold at a rate of 21.00.
For the CFA, it is trading at a buying price of 48.5125 and a selling price of 48.5610. At a forex bureau in Accra, CFA is being bought at a rate of 19.30 CFA for every 1 Cedi and sold at a rate of 23.50 CFA for every 1 Cedi.
The National Women’s Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Hanna Louisa Bissiw, has set the record straight on why she contested for parliamentary candidate in Tano South in the 2020 national election while holding her position and working as National Women Organiser.
According to her, the decision was taken by the NDC leadership on the back of research conducted in the runner up to the 2020 general election.
Some factions in the NDC is criticizing Dr. Hanna Bissiw for simultaneously contesting as a parliamentary candidate for 2020 while working as national officer of the party.
In reaction to the false impression created around her contest and what led to the decision which was taken by the national leader of the NDC, Dr. Bissiw has outlined in detail event which led to the party deciding and tasking her to contest the Tano South Seat for the NDC in 2020.
I contested in the 2020 Parliamentary elections based on the entire decision by the National Democratic Congress(NDC). These are the facts of that “Political Decision”;
➢ Early 2019, a meeting was held in Ada and presided over by the National Chairman, Ofosu Ampofo. At the meeting,incumbent parliamentarians insisted that they needed early primaries so they could have the peace to go about their duties. At the time NDC had106 members in Parliament.
➢ A decision was made to organize primaries for sitting members of Parliament and leave out orphan constituencies.
➢ The party was to employ the services of a surveying company to conduct research and come up with findings on candidates in the orphan constituencies who have the tendency to win those seats. To win in any elections, research is utterly important.
➢ The issue of unqualified persons who could be suggested for candidature by the research findings was raised.
➢ The question was put out to the Chair and leadership of the party on what they will do if the survey findings recommend somebody the constitution does not allow to contest or the regulations agreed on to be used for the primaries goes against.
➢ The response from the national Chairman was that, he will take a ‘Political Decision’. A political decision like the one taken in Winneba where an angry NPP member crossedcarpet to the NDC. It was realized by the party that the “defunct” NPP member had lots of grounds to win the seat for us.
As a result, our PC who was duly elected was asked to step down for the NPP person who came in less than the stipulated time of 4years to contest on our ticket. That was a “Political Decision” for 2020.
➢ At that meeting, it was decided that Parliamentary primaries in the various orphan constituencies will be staggered. As and when they are able to convince the candidate who will emerge as the one with the high possibility of winning the seat to contest, and then they will conduct the election. So for the first time in our history, Parliamentary primaries were staggered.
➢ I was approached to contest because the party’s survey indicated that I had 91.3% rating in Tano South and the two other candidates shared the remaining 8.3%. Based on this finding, I was approached to contest for the party.
➢ Subsequently, some suggested that I step down as the National Women Organizer because the regulation states that if you want to contest primaries, you had to step down. I said NO.
➢ I’ll contest for the party if that’s what they ask of me but I was not going to step down. It doesn’t have to come with conditions because the decision to contest didn’t come from me. The party wants me to contest.
➢ There were meetings here and there trying to convince me to step down to go and do what the party wanted me to do. I vehemently said no because I’ve taken that seat before and I know what it takes to win the seat.
➢ You can’t come to me in the year 2020 and ask me to contest for a seat that needs a whole lot of work before you’ll be able to get victory. That too as late as an election year, you approach me and you want me to resign and go do the party’s bid for, so I refused.
➢ Eventually, the party directed that I contest for the seat on behalf of the party. Finally, in late august 2020, they said because of democracy a guy was made to contest me in the primaries. He pulled 47 votes out of the 1,092. The delegates massively endorsed me with 1,045 votes.
➢ After the primaries, our designs were supposed to come from President Mahama’s office. They took my picture from President Mahama’s office and the design did not come until ending of September.
➢ Due to this, it was during the first week of October I got any presence in the constituency.
➢ On the other hand, all National Officers were directed to go and station in their various regions and work from the regions in September.
➢ So I had only two months to contest in that election. It was an election that we didn’t lose. If you check the records, pulled 17,066 for the Presidential race. This is the first time we’ve had 17000 and over votes from Tano South Constituency for any NDC Presidential candidate.
➢ I set up ten teams and at the same time, I was working in and out of the constituency. In September for instance, I was with President Mahama in the Upper West and the Northern region. The running mate came to Ahafo regionbecause I was stationed to work in Ahafo according to the directives to all National Officers. I was with her throughout her stay in the region.
➢ On 30th and 31st October, I was in the eastern region. I campaigned in three markets in the Eastern region and Fanteakwa as well. This brings the total to four.
➢ After being discharged from the hospital in that same October, I went to the market. On 3rd November, I was in Kaneshie market, Agbogbloshie market and Ablekuma South market.
➢ In the 2020 elections, NDC didn’t lose in Tano South. We didn’t lose that seat. There was zero coalition after the elections. Anyone who took the numbers directly from the polling centers declared that I won.
➢ There was a general light off in the entire constituency and it was drizzling as well. They rushed and gave some pink sheets to our agents. Some of them realized the discrepancies in the figures and drew the attention of the EC officials.
The answer they gave was “send them to your party leadership. When they come to the coalition centre, they will ask for recount”.
➢ So as we received those pink sheets that did not tally withthe figures at the polling centers, we rushed to the coalition centre in Bechem. A typical example is Konkomba A & B. The result of one center was over 400 and the other a little under 400. When you add the tow it was over 800votes but on the pink sheet, I was given 88 at both centers and 44 at both centers for my opponent and 72 spoilt ballots.
➢ At where I voter, Old mosque I had 285 and my opponent had 160 but on pink sheet, they gave me 103 and gave him 160. For the first time in Brosankro NDC had never won Old Brosankro but we won old Brosankro. You go to Mansin, polling stations that we have never won before in the history of this 4th republic, we won. You go to new Brosankro we won polling centers that hitherto we were not winning and appreciated in the other centers.
➢ Come to my own hometown, Techimantia, places where the NPP will get 200 and over votes and we get 50, 40votes. But in the 2020 election, if they had a little over 200 votes, we pulled 200. We appreciated in all the polling centers. There was no difference of 100votes between me and my close contender except for Appetite where he was able to stretch me with 100 votes. Only one polling center out of the 120 polling centers. Techimantia is the biggest place. The figures did not tally.
➢ We stayed at the coalition centre throughout the night. EC claimed they were doing administrative work but with all the administrative work we realized they were playing tricks.
➢ Thus, we indicated to Mr. Asamoah and I mention his name because he was the Presiding officer that we have not seen ballot boxes, biometric machines and electoral materials at the coalition center. We made it known that we will request for a recount of the ballots of the various polling centers.
➢ So where were the ballot boxes, biometric machines and the other electoral materials? He told us we are delaying him so we should allow them to finish with their administrative work. We sat through the night under heavy armed Police and Military officers. The coalition centerlooked like a war zone.
➢ The lawyer was directed to write a letter for recount, which was done. So we requested for the electoral materials to arrive. The lady returning officer appeared at the coalition center around 4 to 5a.m.
➢ Around 7 a. m I entered my car to charge my phone. The lawyer came with some sheets they said we should sign. They collated, so we refused to sign that report. We held a press conference and NDC as a political party took this case to court.
➢ Whiles in court and proceedings were not favoring the NPP, the entire EC office mysteriously caught fire one weekend and everything burnt down to ashes. There was zero evidence for us to continue the case.
➢ Now my question is, am I bigger than the party? Because anytime the party wants a particular candidate to contest anything anywhere, can anybody impose themselves on the party? No.
➢ I asked the party to get their candidate to go and contest if they thought they had somebody who could win the seat. In the survey’s findings in the entire orphan Constituencies I had the highest ratings at the time when I had zero presencein Tano South and hardly went to the village.
➢ Now, for the records, I have zero interest in going to contest for that seat. Even if there is no contest and I am asked to present myself for swearing in, I don’t want it. I am not interested in becoming a member of Parliament.
➢ Whether I am contesting for National Women’s Organizer or not, I reiterate that i am not interested. I have worked as a member of parliament and I know what it entails but, I have lost any interest in that regard.
➢ I accounted for every pesewa that was given to me. I lived well with my people even after we lost the election. 84 boreholes were drilled. Schools were built, mosques were built, school fees were paid, and scholarships were given. Computers, laptops, text books, exercise books, health facilities, I touched every sector. From the markets to abattoirs, reaching out to the needy in their various homes,reaching out to children and donating about 500 new clothes every year together with food items and toys to throughout the constituency and supporting teachers.
➢ The most important thing is that as a member of parliament, I led a very transparent administration like a mirror. I will always offer my support to the people but I am not interested in becoming a Member of Parliament for Tano South.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been commended for avoiding his usual expensive luxury jets to fly commercially during his recent Ghana-Egypt-USA trip.
According to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who has serially tracked presidential travels for the past two years, the president for the longest period avoided flying a €20,000-an-hour luxury jet.
The North Tongu lawmaker indicated further that Akufo-Addo in his entire itinerary flew commercially until he arrived home on Friday, November 11, 2022, aboard British Airways.
He is hopeful that since the country is seeking an IMF bailout, the president will continue flying commercially to save the Ghanaian taxpayer millions of cedis.
“Since we started our unimpeachable tracking of President Akufo-Addo’s condemnable oligarchic travels some 2 years ago, this has been the longest period he’s avoided €20,000-an-hour luxury jets.
“I can confirm that on his latest Ghana-Egypt-USA trip, the President flew commercial during his entire itinerary and returned Friday night (11/11/2022) aboard British Airways flight BA81 at 8:57 PM,” Samuel Okudzeto Ablakaw’s post on Sunday, November 13 read.
“We all sincerely hope President Akufo-Addo will continue on this responsible path of saving the Ghanaian taxpayer millions of Cedis, especially when the IMF bailout arrives, he said.
“We shall keep tracking, for God and Country. Ghana must be really broke,” Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa stressed.
Steve Hanke, a professor of Applied Economics at the Johns Hopkins University and founder and co-director of the Institute for Applied Economics, is asking how the government of Ghana will be saving the country’s economy from collapsing.
According to him, it will not be prudent for Ken Ofori-Atta, the finance minister, to be fabricating the country’s numbers just to look good in the eyes of the international community and investors.
He tweeted that on his economic dashboard, Ghana’s inflation is now being measured at 158 per cent.
“Today, I measure #Ghana’s inflation at a stunning 158%/yr. What’s Finance Minister Ofori-Atta’s plan to save the economy? Will Ofori-Atta just fabricate the numbers? Apparently, he’s done that before,” Prof Hanke said.
The economist was commenting on claims by the minority that Ken Ofori-Atta since he was appointed the finance minister has been presenting inaccurate figures to Parliament.
Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, Asawase MP, while debating on the need for Parliament to pass a vote of censure on the finance minister indicated that “In 2018 he reported to this house that the fiscal deficit was 3.9% of GDP when he had to report to the World Bank the actual was 7.1% of GDP.
“In 2019, he reported that the fiscal deficit was 4.8% when the actual to be reported to the International Monetary Fund the actual was 7.1% to GDP.
“In 2022, he reported that the fiscal deficit was 11.7% of GDP when the actual was 17.2 %. In 2021 he reported 9.2% when the actual was 12.4%.”
The Minority Chief Whip was of the view that the finance minister has shown beyond doubt that he is not able to the finances of the country, thus must be removed.
“What are we waiting for, from this Minister before we will now believe the time has come for him to exit? I am reliably informed that he is part of the impediment that is not making us conclude the negotiations with the IMF,” Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka stressed.
Today, I measure #Ghana‘s inflation at a stunning 158%/yr. What’s Finance Minister Ofori-Atta’s plan to save the economy? Will Ofori-Atta just fabricate the numbers? Apparently, he’s done that before. https://t.co/0aoSccTto7
Some heavily-built thugs of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), clashed with some personnel of the Ghana Police Service to disrupt the Ashanti Regional Delegates Conference on Sunday, November 13.
According to media reportage sighted by GhanaWeb, these persons believed to be members of the opposition NDC wanted to enter the Baba Yara Sports Stadium without accreditation and were prevented by the security personnel.
An eyewitness who spoke to Accra-based Joy FM said, when one of the thugs was arrested his colleagues prevented the police from taking him to the police station for questioning, thus, resulting in some altercation.
“The guys vowed they would not allow the police to take the suspect away. So they fought them for a while,” the eyewitness said.
Warning shots from the police then angered these young men, numbering about thirty resulting in a free-for-all fight between them and the police.
The thugs reportedly pelted the police with stones while the police also resorted to the use of the butts of their rifles.
The police had to leave the main entrance of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium to restore calm.
The incident, however, did not affect the voting process.
The NDC is electing new executives to steer the affairs of the party in the Ashanti Region.
Nearly 1,500 delegates have converged at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in what many have described as a tense election.
The General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) has bashed the Ministry of Food & Agriculture’s decision to have a farmers’ market at its premises to sell foodstuff to Ghanaians.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, the General Secretary of GAWU, Edward Kareweh said it was a bad idea to conceive the initiative without carefully evaluating the forces driving up the prices of foodstuff in the various markets.
He said the initiative is just a knee-jerk measure and its sustainability is highly in doubt because the entire procedure is shredded in secrecy.
“What is their budget for this exercise? We are asking this because, at the beginning of the year, the Ministry indicated to all of us that they were reducing their support to farmers to produce. The subsidy on fertilizer and subsidized seed which was 36% in 2021 has been reduced to 15%. The volume of fertilizer that was subsidized last year has been cut down to only a quarter.”
“The quality of fertilizer that gets to the farmers is not the same as what they claim they subsidized. There are real challenges facing agricultural production in this country. The other part has to do with post-harvest losses. The Ministry has to work to ensure we minimize post-harvest losses. Records have that 60 percent of yam produced never reaches the table of the consumer.”
Mr. Karaweh called for a re-evaluation of the foodstuff supply chain and said that what the government needs to do is “to facilitate the movement of foodstuff from the rural areas to the urban areas” so they can be sold at reasonable prices.
The initiative, which commenced on Friday, November 11, was first revealed by the Agric Minister Dr. Owusu Akoto Afriyie during a meeting with farmers in Sefwi Wiawso in the Western North Region.
Former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has said he warned Liz Truss she was going too fast with her ill-fated economic plans.
In his first interview since he was sacked by the then PM, Mr Kwarteng told TalkTV he had warned her to “slow down” after September’s mini-budget.
He said he told her it was “mad” to fire him and she would only last “three or four weeks” if she did.
“Little did I know it was only going to be six days,” he added.
Mr Kwarteng was dramatically fired by Ms Truss in October, two weeks after their tax-cutting mini-budget sparked turmoil on financial markets.
After abandoning almost all of the plan in a bid to stay in power, she announced her resignation a few days later after support from Tory MPs ebbed away.
Speaking to TalkTV Mr Kwarteng said that he had warned Ms Truss about going at a breakneck speed with economic measures after the mini-budget.
“She said, ‘Well, I’ve only got two years’ and I said, ‘You will have two months if you carry on like this’. And that is, I’m afraid, what happened.”
He also said: “I think the prime minister was very much of the view that we needed to move things fast. But I think it was too quick.”
In the interview he acknowledged he had to “bear some responsibility” for the pace of the changes, which were “too quick”.
He also revealed he found out he was going to be sacked when he saw a journalist tweeting about it while he was in the car going to Downing Street, after being summoned back from a trip to the US.
He said he had told her: “Prime ministers don’t get rid of chancellors.”
The former chancellor said he did not think the prime minister could fire him “just for implementing what she campaigned on.”
Lawyer Moses Foh-Amoaning, Executive Secretary of the National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values has said that he is in full support of the General Legal Council’s decision to put on hold the call to the Bar of YouTuber Elorm Ababio, a.k.a Ama Governor.
According to him, one does not become a lawyer just because s/he has passed an examination but also because the person is of good character, as stated in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
In a Neat FM interview monitored by GhanaWeb, Foh-Amoaning intimated that calling Ama Governor to the Bar means that the Council will be condoning her LGBTQ+ preferences, which she has wildly professed contrary to the laws of the country.
“In Ghana, if you take a look at Act 32, to be called a lawyer, it is not just that you have passed your exams; you must be of a said good character.
“We know that in Ghana, it is not good behaviour for persons of the same sex to have sexual intercourse and for them to marry. So, if you are engaged in such an activity, we know you are not of good character, so you can’t be called to the Ghana Bar,” he said in Twi.
Foh-Amoaning also warned that Ghana had to be careful because proponents of LGBTQ+ activities are trying very hard to indoctrinate their values in the country.
Elorm Ababio, a student who just completed the Ghana School of Law (GSL), will not be called to the Ghana Bar due to a petition filed against her by a “concerned citizen”.
The complaint, according to the letter signed by Justice Cynthia Pamela A. Addo JA, Secretary, General Legal Council (GLC), stated that Ama Governor is seen in widely circulated videos engaging in what it describes as “conduct unbecoming of an applicant to be called to the Bar”.
The Complainant, the GLC Secretary, indicated, also submitted a flash drive [pen drive] which contains selected video files and hyperlinks of Ama Governor to relevant website publications.
Ama Governor’s conduct is said to violate Regulation 21(c) of the Legal Profession (Professional and Post-call Law Course) Regulations, 2018 L.I. 2355.
The said Regulation states: “A student of the school qualifies to be called to the Bar if that student has […] (c) satisfied the Council that the student is of good character.”
The Council, Justice Cynthia Pamela A. Addo JA said had thus decided:
“1. To constitute a three-member Committee to investigate the complaint and advise Council accordingly.
“2. To suspend the decision to call you [Ama Governor] to the Bar pending the outcome of the investigation.
“I have been directed by the Chairperson of the General Legal Council to inform you of this matter and to advise you to expect to be contacted by the Committee in due course.”
“You will be given a fair hearing on the complaint before a decision is arrived at,” Justice Cynthia Pamela A. Addo JA’s letter dated November 3 concluded.
A former manager of Shatta Wale, Lawrence Asiamah Hanson, popularly known as Bullgod, has said he has no plans of working with the ‘Melisa’ hitmaker again.
Bullgod explained that he has been able to help build Shatta Wale’s brand to the highest level over the years; hence, he’s confident Shatta Wale can manage himself now.
This comes after Bullgod sued Shatta Wale for defamation after the musician threatened to expose his alleged secret regarding the death of late artiste manager, Fennec Okyere.
But in an interview on Prime Morning, Friday, Bullgod clarified that the legal issue has nothing to do with his decision to not work again with the musician.
“That [working with Shatta Wale] will not happen, and it’s not even about hate. The journey is done, and it is not even about the fight. I mean, it’s a huge brand, and I think he can continue. We’ve done what we can do for the brand at the time we were given the opportunity to do so,” he told Roselyn Felli.
According to Bullgod, the court case will never be withdrawn, even if Shatta Wale apologises.
Bullgod added that he could sue any of his family members when there is a need to do so.
“I love my kids. I love my wife. I might take a bullet for them, but I’ll think it through if I’ll take a bullet. I need to protect myself, and I need to love myself too. If it was any of my children, I would have taken them to court,” he indicated.
The talent manager expressed his genuine love for the dancehall artiste. He believes love is key, but protection is also important to him.
“Looking at the situation at hand, you can still love the person, but you need to protect yourself.”
The Agriculture Ministry has explained the reason behind the scanty amount of foodstuff displayed at its Planting For Food and Jobs (PFJ) market.
The opening of the market formed part of the government’s effort to engage in transporting foodstuffs from farming communities in the Greater Accra Region to sell at controlled prices.
The Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, had earlier outlined the plan to curtail the incessant increase in foodstuff prices on the markets as a result of high transportation cost, and ensure urban consumers enjoy reasonable prices.
On Friday, the initiative was piloted at the forecourt at Ministry with scores of Ghanaians, mostly civil and local government workers, trooping in.
However, the prospective buyers were met by just a few bunches of plantain displayed on the floor.
While some of them lauded the initiative, others lamented that the prices were not as competitive as government had promised.
A bunch of plantain costs between ¢20 and ¢25.
Margaret is one of the people who showed up, expecting to buy perishable goods.
She was left disappointed as plantain was the only crop on sale.
“I wanted some perishable goods but unfortunately they are saying they are not going to bring anything of that sort here,” she told JoyNews.
Others also lamented that the quantity available was also below their expectation.
However, a spokesperson at the Ministry says the foodstuffs seen on site are just a few of what is to come.
Speaking to JoyNews, he explained that limited food items seen on site are because “the big truck had delayed.”
“The information gathered is that there was an accident between Apagwa and Suhum area and the road was actually blocked so it had to reroute through Kyebi. So we are hoping that it should be here shortly,” he said.
He said more crops such as cocoyam and yam will be added as they intend to scale up on Tuesday, November 15.
The buyer, Margaret, said she was expecting prices to be low.
“I was doing some comparison and I saw that the price here is a bit high so if they can bring it down for us, we will be happy,” she said.
Radio personality, Patrick Osei Agyemang known widely known as Countryman Songo has pooh-poohed the New Patriotic Party’s ‘break the 8’ agenda for the 2024 elections.
Songo holds that the party will not be able to break the 8-year political cycle in the country due to some bad policies of the government.
In a usual rant on his show, Songo fumed over certain developments in the country, particularly sports.
He slammed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his infamous ‘sike mp3 dede rhetoric, claiming that the president is not perturbed because he is done with his term of office.
“He is saying ‘sike mp3 dede’ because he knows he’s done with his 8 years. You claim you want to break the 8, do it and let’s see. They will break the eight for us to see. How can you sit in this country for people to fool us? They think we are foolish people so they don’t respect us” he said.
Songo, like many Ghanaians is frustrated by the economic crisis which had led to a persistent rise in the prices of fuel and food commodities.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta who is under pressure from both NPP and NDC MPs to resign has assured that measures are being instituted to revive the economy.
Speaking at a meeting with the Association of Ghana Industries, Ken Ofori-Atta said Ghana remains the best destination to do business.
“Let me assure you that you have a Finance Minister who has gone through all the pains and the aches, and nobody can really say we don’t understand what we are doing. The question is what resources do we have and how are we going to deploy them in the nation that we have and how do we stand firm in very difficult circumstances but being very confident?”
“Let me assure you all that your best bet is still Ghana; we can do it, and we should do it,” the embattled Finance Minister said.
The Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, expressed her delight at returning home and to parliament after being away from the jurisdiction for a long time.
She explained that on her return, she received a good reception from her colleague MPs in parliament.
Speaking to journalists after the close of Friday’s, November 11, 2022, proceedings in parliament, Sarah Adwoa Safo said that she was happy to be back.
“I greet all my constituents. As their Member of Parliament, by the grace of God, I have finally returned to the Chamber… the reception has been good… I’m now back to continue my duties and today is the first day and I’m hoping that the subsequent weeks are going to be good.
“It feels good to be back,” she said.
The absence of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs from parliamentary work for nearly a year has been a source of contention and several controversies, with her colleagues on the same side of the House pushing for her seat to be declared vacant at one point.
The MP had also earlier been summoned to appear before the Privileges Committee of Parliament for absenting herself from work for more than the period stated in the constitution, but she failed to show up.
Also, in her absence, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo terminated her appointment as the Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection.
Mazen Farakh, a Ukrainian national who has been on the wanted list of the police for alleged fake currency trafficking, has been arrested.
The suspect, who is alleged to have moved a total of $65 million in fake currency out of Ghana to various destinations was picked up by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on Wednesday, November 9, 2022.
He is believed to be at the Airport Police station pending further investigations into the case.
Arrest Warrant
In September, this year, the Airport Police forwarded a warrant for the arrest of Mazen Farakh, issued by the Madina District Court, to the Comptroller-General of the GIS.
Intel revealed that, over the years, the suspect had been able to move an amount of $65 million in fake currency outside the country to various destinations.
The suspect was alleged to be transacting the same business but was picked up after a copy of the arrest warrant and the bio-data page of his passport was sent to the GIS.
Accomplice
Earlier this year, an alleged Nigerian accomplice nicknamed Sam was picked up by the anti-graft institution.
Sam, 52 according to intel was arrested on the allegation that he defrauded Mazen Farakh of $6.5 million but allegedly insisted that he never defrauded the Ukrainian but rather, engaged in a fake currency deal with him.
The Minority Chief Whip in Parliament, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, has told the Members of Parliament on the majority side that their decision not to support the removal of the finance minister is something they will live to regret.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs have filed a motion in the House calling for a vote of censure against the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, over his poor performance in managing the economy.
Some weeks ago, 80 MPs from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), forming the majority in parliament, made an unprecedented move when they addressed a press conference, calling on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sack the finance minister and his counterpart, the Minister of State in charge of Finance, Charles Adu Boahene.
The MPs explained at the time that the poor performance of their party member had caused a lot of hardships in the country, adversely affecting their constituents, and for this reason they wanted him out.
However, since then, the MPs have backed down a little after they had a meeting with the president.
But when he got up in parliament on Thursday, November 10, 2022, to second the motion moved by the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, the Chief Whip, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, told his colleagues on the other side that it would be an error for them to turn their backs now.
“Our failure today to remove the finance minister will continue to hurt each and every one of us. It will continue to hurt our constituents. It will continue to hurt the economy, it will continue to hurt businesses; businesses are collapsing, ordinary citizens are now struggling to feed themselves.
“This is a responsibility for all of us and I just want to, Mr. Speaker, urge my colleagues, especially the ‘Rambo 80,’ to have at the back of their mind, ‘You have a reason for rebelling.’ You know this is a finance minister who doesn’t listen. You know the efforts that you’ve made severally to get him to do the right things and he refused. Those are the reasons that led you to rebel.
“I can assure you that if you backtrack, you will regret it because you know the kind of president and his family that you have: they will surely come after you,” he said.
The MP for Asawase further called on the NPP MPs to support their motion for the removal of Ken Ofori-Atta as the Minister of Finance so that they can, together, save the country from all the economic mess it is going through.
“It is better today; you help us to remove him. It will give you mileage, and it will make people believe you. All the rumour that was going round that people made an attempt to bribe you, today, you need to justify it. You need to prove to the world that you were never bribed, that you were never influenced,” he added.
Earlier, the NPP MPs, led by the Effiduase Asokore legislator, addressed a press briefing where they indicated that while they still hold the view that Ofori-Atta and his counterpart should go, they would not support the motion by their colleagues in the NDC for a vote of censure against him.
It is being reported that some children on board a school bus with about 50 pupils in the Tano North Municipality of the Ahafo Region have died after a ghastly accident.
According to a post made by a Facebook user, Andy Frimpong Manso, the fatal accident happened on the Terchire-Adrobaa Road.
He said, in a caption accompanying a video, that several others have sustained critical injuries.
“A School Bus boarding about 50 Pupils has been involved in a fatal accident on the Terchire~Adrobaa Road in the Tano North Municipality in the Ahafo Region.
“6 Children confirmed dead, several others critically injured and few can’t be found,” he wrote.
The Facebook user also indicated that the accident came about as a result of the bus driver over-speeding on a road that was still under construction.
“I’m told the driver was driving on undeserving top speed, knowing very the road is under construction with first phase of surface dressing (Prima seal) being layed.
“In such areas, drivers are being cautioned to drive carefully due to the nature of the chippings and how slippery it could be.
“Sources say, he deified all cautions, even to that of the school pupils, asking him to slow down,” he added.
It is unclear when exactly the incident happened, but the post was made by Andy Frimpong Manso on Friday, November 11, 2022.
However, the police are yet to comment on the matter.
Following 50 Cent’s intentions to create a movie series out of popular Nigerian online scammer, Hushpuppi’s ordeal, Nollywood actress Uche Jombo has made a public appeal to the American rapper.
On Wednesday, November 9, 2022, 50 Cent disclosed that he will produce a television series based on the life of Hushpuppi, who has been sentenced to 11 years in prison in the United States for participating in money laundering schemes worth millions of dollars.
One can recall that on Monday, November 7, United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II delivered the sentence to Ramon Olorunwa Abbas (Hushpuppi)
It was revealed in a statement issued by the US Department of Justice that the judge had also mandated Hushpuppi to pay $1,732,841 in reparations to two of his victims.
50 Cent who shared images of the prisoner on his Instagram account on Wednesday stated that he intends to work on a movie project which was based on the life of Hushpuppi.
In the caption, the creator of G-Unit Records wrote: “For my scammers, I gotta do this one. Hushpuppi series coming soon! GLG, Green Light Gang I don’t miss. #Bransoncognac #lecheminduroi #gunitfilmandtv.”
Shortly after, Uche Jombo reacted to the development by pleading with the American star in the comment section to ensure a Nigerian actor plays that role.
She wrote: “Please give a Nigeria actor the opportunity to play this character.”
Deloris Frimpong Manso, also known as Delay has expressed that selecting a car from her garage on a daily basis for her daily rounds, has been one of her challenges.
Citing it as a ‘problem for the rich’, the popular media personality said that the situation should be the kind of ‘headache’ people should yearn for.
Counting her blessings whiles addressing the youth at a conference in Kumasi, Delay said: “I say that my biggest headache sometimes is not knowing which car to use. That is the kind of problem you want to have in life. When you are going out and you don’t know which car to drive.”
Delay, however, established that her success wasn’t funded by a sponsor adding that she started building from scratch.
“It wasn’t handed over to me on a silver platter. I didn’t get any rich man sponsor to help me get to this stage. I worked from the ground up. I started Delay sardine with just a container. By God’s grace, I’m able to import about seven to eight containers. You can see the products all over in town, right?”
According to Delay Foods founder, to date, people still doubt that she owns such merchandise.
For such people, she understands their misbeliefs but the fact still remains that she has become an accomplished entrepreneur and media personality.
“Some people still ask whether the Delay products are mine. I understand them because how can it be mine if not God? It’s like a dream. It’s like a story which doesn’t add up for many people. It was just a few years ago I started.”
Veteran actor, Fred Amugi, has said it is his utmost wish to be captured on a billboard as a brand ambassador before he dies.
This is the only wish of the veteran actor who turned 74 years on November 11, 2022.
According to Fred Amugi, it is his desire that this particular wish would be granted while he is still alive.
“One wish I’d want to have for my 74th birthday is to see myself on a billboard as a brand ambassador. I wouldn’t want to die before I am mounted on a billboard, where I wouldn’t see what is being done for me. I’m prepared to be a brand ambassador for your products. Use me whiles I’m alive and not when I’m dead and gone,” he appealed to brands in a viral video.
Over the period, some veteran actors have channeled all sorts of appeals, predominantly financial, to the general public.
This has become the case because most of these veteran actors have struggled with all sorts of life crises associated with their old ages.
While many have changed career paths due to the influx of new-school actors, the few veterans left in the movie industry have always maintained that they do not get as much opportunities as the young ones.
Kennedy Osei, son of Dr Osei Kwame Despite, has been called to the bar.
He joins the tall list of graduates called to the bar, clad the black and white attire matching it with a peruke that brought a sense of formality and solemnity to their graduation ceremony, Friday, November 11, 2022.
In a post he shared on his Instagram, he posed wearing his graduation gown while seated with one leg crossed on the other.
His caption that accompanied the post read, “The Time Is Here: KENNEDY ASANTE OSEI ESQ. #GODFIRST. Thank you.”
His post has attracted many social media users and some stars to congratulate the businessman on achieving a higher milestone.
Reacting to his post, netizens shared many clapping emojis with others who expressed joy and shock after the post was shared barely one hour ago.
So far, his post has amassed close to seven thousand likes with over a hundred comments.
A social media reaction shared by Afia Schwarzenegger read, “Eishhhhhhh my learned colleague…[with five clapping emojis].”
Clemento Suarez also added, “Congratulations my fellow atta papa” while Selassie Ibrahim kept it simple with a warm “Congratulations.”
Fella Makafui as of November 11, 2022, had deleted every photo from her Instagram account following a cryptic post she shared on Twitter two days prior.
It is unclear why she cleared her photos but the decision has fueled speculations.
Although it is early to say her November 8, 2022, post where she talks about wanting to make a drastic decision was a reason for this, many still want to grasp what is happening in her camp and that of her husband, Medikal.
A day after her post on Twitter, her significant other, Medikal, likewise confused netizens with an assertion he made about marriage.
In the rapper’s post shared on blogger, Nkonkonsa’s page on Instagram, he said spouses ought to appreciate, be humble and accommodating to their husbands.
“Wives should be respectful, submissive, appreciative and stress-free,” the rapper said.
Medikal and Fella Makafui married on March 7th, 2020, and they have a daughter called Island Frimpong. At the wedding ceremony, the bride collapsed while dancing with her husband in the full glare of family and friends but later said it was a prank.
“I’m an actress, I mean I have been pranking him so I was like let me see if he was going to get scared today. I love you so much,” she said.
Her claim divided opinions with some chastising her for spewing lies while others argued that it was unwise for a bride to pull a stunt if her narrative was anything to go by.
Award-winning artiste, Sarkodie, has disclosed that sensational Ghanaian artiste, Black Sherif, reached out to him when he was almost done with his Jamz album.
Speaking on 3Music TV, he praised the artiste while tackling assumptions some Ghanaians have that he chases after new acts in order to stay relevant.
“Big shoutouts to my superstar Blacko. Blacko hit me up at the last minute of this project and said Landlord, I have to be on you Jamz, and I said great,” Sarkodie said.
According to Sarkodie, people who don’t get why he is ahead of his game tend to make up stories that make sense to them.
He also added that many of these artistes people claim he chases come to him for a feature.
“I should feel bad because people actually don’t make sense of why you are still here. Because that’s the only reason, there is no other reason. They want to find the logic behind why you can still be relevant after a long time.
“And the funny thing is most of these records that you hear me on, and you think I am jumping on somebody’s record? I never reach out to these people,” he added.
Sarkodie added that going after up-and-coming artistes is something he doesn’t do but wouldn’t mind working with them when he is called on.
The rapper released the Jamz album on November 11, 2022.
Only 522 of the candidates who took part in the 2022 entrance examination to enter the Ghana School of Law have reportedly passed.
According to a report by TV3, the number of students who passed represents less than 20 percent of the 2,654 people who took part in the examination.
Also, the report indicated that the 522 students who have gained admission to the law school fall short of the 800 the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, indicated have been budgeted for in the 2022 budget.
It will be recalled that in July 2022, the Independent Examinations Body, the body responsible for examinations at the Ghana School of Law, cancelled a Civil Procedure paper scheduled to be written on July 15, 2022.
According to an earlier report on GhanaWeb, the Independent Examinations Body canceled the paper over suspicions that the questions had leaked hours before they were to be administered.
A copy of the paper was said to have widely circulated across various social media platforms before the time it was scheduled to be written.
The 2022 law school entrance examination was cancelled for the second time after it was rescheduled to take place on Friday, September 23, 2022, after the exam papers allegedly leaked online.
According to a report on citinewsroom.com, the questions for the examination, which was scheduled for 10 a.m. on Friday, found their way onto social media.
Our forex bureau rates are provided by Afriswap Bureau De Change in Osu, Accra.
On the Interbank forex rates from the Bank of Ghana as of November 11, 2022, the Ghana Cedi is trading against the dollar at a buying price of 13.0694 and a selling price of 13.0824.
As compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 13.0494 and a selling price of 13.0624. At a forex bureau in Accra, the dollar is being bought at a rate of 14.30 and sold at a rate of 14.90.
Against the Pound Sterling, the Cedi is trading at a buying price of 15.2572 and a selling price of 15.2751 as compared to yesterday’s trading at a buying price of 15.0890 and a selling price of 15.0890.
At a forex bureau in Accra, the pound sterling is being bought at a rate of 15.90 and sold at a rate of 16.75.
The Euro is trading at a buying price of 13.2983 and a selling price of 13.3104 as compared to yesterday’s trading at a buying price of 13.0850 and a selling price of 13.0993.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Euro is being bought at a rate of 13.90 and sold at a rate of 14.90.
The South African Rand is trading at a buying price of 0.7490 and a selling price of 0.7498 compared to yesterday’s trading at a buying price of 0.7348 and a selling price of 0.7355.
At a forex bureau in Accra, South African Rand is being bought at a rate of 0.65 and sold at a rate of 1.10.
The Nigerian Naira is trading at a buying price of 33.8835 and a selling price of 34.0337 as compared to yesterday’s trading at a buying price of 33.8835 and a selling price of 34.0337.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Nigerian Naira is being bought at a rate of 13.50 Naira for every 1 Cedi and sold at a rate of 17.50.
A former Director of the Minerals Commission, Richard Kofi Afenu, says he disagrees with calls for the government to ban small-scale mining in the country.
According to him, banning small-scale mining is not the answer to illegal mining otherwise known as galamsey.
“I do not think a ban on small-scale mining would yield the desired result of fighting illegal mining. In 2017, a ban was imposed on mining. The question is, were are we able to root out illegal mining?”
He argues that the astronomical increase in gold production when a ban on mining was imposed in 2018, was enough evidence that a new ban will not yield the required results but will only make room for illegal mining to prevail.
Speaking to Citi News, Mr. Afenu wants the government to provide lasting solutions, including the stringent enforcement of laws that govern mining in the country.
“We need to look at the drivers, and what is causing illegal mining in the country. Let’s tackle the root cause. Let us see the powers that are backing the illegal miners”.
Already, analysts have warned Ghana risks being food and water insecure as the activities of illegal miners continue to destroy water bodies and ravage farmlands.
Religious groups, Civil Society Groups such as Green Advocate Ghana among others have called on the government to ban small-scale mining in the country.
These groups posit that both illegal and legal small-scale mining had destroyed biodiversity, hence the need for its restoration.
The family of former President John Dramani Mahama has categorically refuted claims of having preferred candidates in the upcoming internal elections of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
A statement signed by Rafik Mahama, Secretary to the family, said “no member of the family is aligned and supports any of the candidates as being alleged.”
He urged the general public and members of the NDC to disregard reports of the former President supporting some preferred candidates.
“JohnMahamaFamily has no preferred candidatesinthe upcomingNDCInternalElections. ReportsreachingthefamilyofH.E.JohnMahamaindicatesomepersonsassociatingtheirnames withcertaincandidatesintheupcominginternalelectionsoftheNationalDemocraticCongress (NDC).”
The NDC will from Friday, November 11, 2022, begin its regional election conferences nationwide.
The exercise will end on Sunday, November 13, 2022. The party wants delegates to fully abide by all laid down rules outlined.
NDC delegates in the Greater Accra Region will vote for the positions of youth organizer and women organizer at the Du Bois Memorial Center today.
The elections will continue on Sunday at the Tema Sports complex where delegates will elect a new Chairman, Secretary, and Organizer among others for the Greater Accra Region.
The Ministry for Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has announced plans to replicate its sale of cheaper foodstuff to the public at the Efua Sutherland Park to incorporate more local food products.
The Agric Ministry on Friday, November 11, 2022, began the retailing of food items at its premises to civil and local government workers only.
According to the Ministry, the move forms part of efforts to cushion Ghanaians and mitigate the impact of rising food prices on the market.
Citi FM’s Caleb Kudah reported from the premises that the first truckload of plantain arrived around 8 am on Friday.
He added that some patrons expressed their happiness over the low prices of the products.
The Public Relations Officer at the Agric Ministry, Bagbara Tanko, told Kudah that the plan to expand the Planting for and Jobs market to the Efua Sutherland Park will enable it to cater for more Ghanaians.
“I can even say that we are extending this to the Efua Sutherland Park, where we are going to have the Ghanaian rice and the Plantain and other things available,” Mr Tanko said.
The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, had earlier said data gathered by the Ministry showed massive disparities between prices at the production areas and urban centres due to the costs within the value chain, hence the need for the initiative.
Though the move has been criticized by a section of the public and other stakeholders, the pilot exercise has taken off at the ministry.
A former Deputy Finance Minister, Mona Quartey in an earlier interview said the plan to retail farm produce at the Agric Ministry is unsustainable.
Also, a former Research Scientist with the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Professor Roger Kanton, downplayed the feasibility of carting food products from rural areas to sell at the Ministry in Accra.
The regional elections of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), will begin today, Friday, November 11.
The exercise is expected to end on Sunday, November 13.
Ahead of this, the party’s Elections Committee has urged all delegates to fully abide by all directives.
In the Greater Accra Region, the delegates are scheduled to vote for the positions of youth organiser and women organiser today at the Du Bois Memorial Centre.
The exercise will then continue on Sunday at the Tema Sports Complex.
At the venue, the delegates will elect a new Chairman, Secretary, and Organizer among others for the Greater Accra Region.
The incumbent Regional Chairman, Ade Coker is being challenged by three others.
The three are a former Member of Parliament for Adentan, Nii Ashie Moore, a former parliamentary aspirant for Ningo Prampram, Michael Kwetey Tetteh and Greater Accra Regional Youth Organiser Thomas Mustapha Ashong.
Former President, John Dramani Mahama has donated GH¢1,953,000 to the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The donation is to aid the party in its internal elections with the regional elections commencing today, Friday, November 11.
This was announced by the National Communications Officer of the party, Sammy Gyamfi in a press statement issued today.
According to the said statement, GH¢853,000 is for the conduct of the regional elections and the balance for a debt owed to the Electoral Commission (EC) for the conduct of the party’s constituency elections.
“The NDC’s flag-bearer for the 2020 general elections has donated an amount totalling ¢1,953,000 to support the conduct of the party’s constituency and regional internal elections.
The donation is made up of an amount of ¢853,000 to the national party leadership for the organization of regional election conferences across the country and an amount of ¢1,100,000 to the Electoral Commission to clear the debt owed them by the party in respect to the just-ended constituency elections of the party,” the release said.
The release concluded that “the party is most grateful to His Excellency and his generous sponsors for coming to the assistance of the party at this crucial time.”
Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has cautioned against the deliberate disinformation concerning the health of the economy that is fuelling panic withdrawals and capital flights.
This situation, he said, is what is worsening the country’s fiscal problems and not government’s actions.
He stated that some persons have taken to spreading falsehoods about the economy on social media in order to create a fiscal atmosphere that would serve their parochial interests better.
“But this is a time in which you have high levels of social media activity, you have a high level of misinformation and actually you have people who are interested in disinformation, which is very different from misinformation where people put out information that is not correct, and I’ll cite you examples.
“This is the era where you have people going on social media recording voices literally scaring the market. So it’s not about the communication per se, it’s about what people are doing to deliberately juice our market in a particular way.
“You’ll notice that currently some people are on trial, have been arrested because the investigation showed how they fabricated stories on websites, then putting them on WhatsApp platforms and pushing them through to scare the market,” he said on JoyNews’ PM Express Business Edition.
He noted that while preliminary efforts had been made including blocking their malicious websites, they had gone ahead to create new ones to further their agenda.
This he says demonstrates the deliberate attempt to create an environment of uncertainty that will cause investors and the international community from regaining confidence in Ghana’s fiscal space.
“These are matters of public record, and even when those websites were shut down, they set it up on new domain platforms anew to pursue the same objective. Two people are on trial currently. So there’s a new dynamic in the marketplace which is a certain deliberate effort to disinform the public.”
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah advised that when people come across such alarmist messages, investors and the general public’s confidence in the economy should not waver as this government has time and time again proven it can revive the economy.
“But you’d also have to be careful how you respond, that that disinformation does not cause you to run ahead of yourself and start saying things that you haven’t reached a point of conclusion on.
For the ones you’ve reached a point of conclusion on, for example, no principal haircuts you’re able to say so and also make the point that this is the administration that has been working to protect people’s deposits.
“Let’s calm down, let’s have some confidence in this same market. And if we all choose to have confidence, we will not necessarily be pushing for more answers to be provided when we have not reached those points,” he said.
En Huang, aka Aisha Huang, a Chinese alleged galamsey kingpin, on Wednesday broke down when an Accra High Court turned down her application for bail once again.
Aisha Huang’s lawyer, Captain Retired Nkrabeah Effah Dartey, re-applied for her bail, explaining that Aisha was on bail during her trial in 2017.
The defence counsel said: “I am not saying you should leave her. I am only asking that as the case continues, please allow her liberty in terms of movement, subject to the condition that the court would indicate.
“Five years ago, while my client was on trial on similar charges, she never absented herself from any of the court sitting dates.”
The Counsel explained that Aisha was broken because she had been denied bail repeatedly.
“Being in prison or custody is not an easy thing you know. I have been through it and I know how it feels,” he added.
The Court, presided over by Mrs Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, however, refused the application, saying the trial had commenced and was moving at a faster pace.
“The accused is a foreigner and she has no social or other ties in the jurisdiction, and she is, therefore, a flight risk,” the court stated.
When the trial began, Mrs Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, the Director of Public Prosecutions, led Superintendent of Immigration, Reuben Ransford Aborabora, in evidence.
On May 5, 2017, he led six other officers of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to check on the validity of the permits of foreign nationals in the country as part of his duties, the first prosecution witness explained.
The officers, attached to the Enforcement Unit of GIS, went to Bepotenten in the Amansie Central District in the Ashanti Region.
Supt. Aborabora said their aim of going to Bepotenten was to verify information “our office had received to the effect that some Chinese nationals and others were engaged in illegal mining at Bepotenten despite the government’s ban on illegal mining activities.”
On reaching Bepotenten, the first prosecution witness said a road, which run through the site had a container with machine parts in it.
There were also barrels containing fuel, while mining activities had generated freshly dugout heaps of sand.
There was a cocoa farm close to the site and part of the cocoa farm had been cleared, while dug out pits, had some water in them, he added
Supt. Aborabora said: “At the site, I heard the sound of excavators in use and the sound of generators. In total, I saw six excavators out of which four were in use.”
At Bepotenten, Supt. Aborabora said the team arrested four Chinese nationals, including one Gao Jin Cheng, who informed them that they were there to mine for one Aisha.
He said when he asked the four for their passports, they told the team that they were with Aisha.
He, consequently, recorded the mining activities at Bepotenten on his mobile phone and transferred it to a Compact Disc and later to a pen drive.
The video recording was thus played in court, as evidence.
Answering questions under cross-examination by Capt. Effah Dartey, the officer maintained that Aisha was not at Bepotenten when his team visited.
The officer also said personally, he had no direct information against Aisha for mining illegally.
However, it was Gao who told him that they were at the mine site for Aisha, who also their passports.
Defence Counsel (DC): “If Gao Jin Chen gave you wrong information, then your source is wrong.”
Witness: “Yes, my Lord, I only reported on what Gao Jin Cheng told me and I forwarded same in my report to the GIS Enforcement Unit in Kumasi for further investigations.”
DC: “You and your men carried out regular operations at Bepotenten.”
Witness: “Not exactly, we go there as and when my senior officer in charge directs.”
DC: “Are you aware that some of your men were constantly being compromised?”
Witness: “No, my Lord, I have no personal information to that effect.”
Aisha is being held for allegedly engaging in illegal mining activities at Bepotenten in the Ashanti Region in the year 2017.
She is facing charges of undertaking mining operations without a license and facilitating the participation of persons engaged in mining.
Aisha is also facing an additional charge of illegal employment of foreign nationals and entering Ghana while she had been prohibited from re-entry.
The move, the Ministry noted, is to sell foodstuff directly from the farmers in the rural areas to persons in the urban areas at a much cheaper rate.
However, some civil servants who partook in the sales have expressed their disappointment with the prices of the items.
On sale today was fresh plantains, which sold for between 10, 15 and 20 cedis per bunch.
The buyers said there was no difference between what is sold in the market.
Speaking to JoyNews at the Agric Ministry where the exercise was held, a civil servant who works at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources said: “To me, it’s a good initiative but since I heard it was a pilot, we are expecting that the next bunch that will come, the price will really go down a bit. Last week I bought one bunch for 15 in the market. It was reasonable, looking at the size. So I can’t see any big difference between what is here and what is in the market.”
She added: “My view is that maybe if you are coming from Amasaman, Pokuase to come to the Ministry, transportation is like 10 15 cedis, so I don’t see the point.”
Another noted that: I wanted some perishable goods but unfortunately they are saying they are not going to bring anything of that sort. It’s a very good exercise but with the plantain I saw, I was expecting the price to be down, I did some comparisons and I realized that the prices here are a bit high, so if they can bring it down a bit for us.”
The PFJ market is sponsored by the Ministry and is purposed to cushion persons from the increasing cost of food commodities in the capital.
Speaking at a meeting with farmers in Sefwi Wiaso in the Western North Region, last week sector Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto said; “the ministry itself is going to take its own initiative.”
“We are going to link up with the farm gate so that we make all the arrangements to ensure that we put up kiosks on our compounds at the ministry, specifically for food from here [Sefwi Wiaso] and we are going to give it a lot of publicity,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, Ghana is recognized as the nation with the biggest increases in food prices by the World Bank.
With a 122% increase in food prices, the nation has achieved the toughest achievement in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Chancellor of Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson, has reacted to calls for the dismissal of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
Responding to a question that sought his views on demands for Mr Ofori-Atta’s removal from Office, Cardinal Turkson said: “One of the ways we have for responding to those type of things are when the time comes for us to exercise our rights, then we either elect or do not elect, approve or do not approve, continue or do not continue.”
The question was posed by a journalist after he had delivered the 4th University of Professional Studies’ (UPSA) Leadership Lecture Series in Accra on Wednesday, November 9, 2022.
The Lecture was on the theme: “The tragedy of the commons: Leadership for the common good.”
Cardinal Turkson said electorates exercising their right to vote “is statutory pathway in making our demands heard.”
He said there was a relationship between the electorate and the elected and the respect of that relationship constituted justice.
“The President respecting the demands of the electorate will be his act of justice. The electorate obeying or heeding to the directive of the leadership part that the President establishes for them would also be their justice,” he said.
A group of Members of the Majority in Parliament earlier called for the removal of the Finance Minister, saying the move would help to restore hope in the financial sector and reverse the downward trend of the economy.
The group however ‘rescinded’ their call after meeting with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over the matter.
The Minority in Parliament has also filed a motion for the impeachment of Mr Ofori-Atta, citing poor economic management, non-performance among the basis for the move.
Responding to other national issues, Cardinal Turkson expressed concern over the destruction of the country’s water bodies and environment by illegal mining activities.
He said the country “should not be carried away by short-term gains” in the quest to make wealth from its natural resources.
Cardinal Turkson said failure on the part of the country to manage its “endowment” well could lead to a curse.
“If we want to embrace long-term vision, let’s embrace that and see how we make short term vision flow into the long term vision but not pursue short term vision to the detriment of long term vision,” he said.
Cardinal Turkson urged leaders to understand the realities of the people they are working with, saying: “you cannot exercise true leadership if you do not understand the dignity of the people.”
“The goods of the earth is not destined for the benefit of one and the exclusion of the other,” he added.
SIM cards that have been linked to Ghana Cards but not done the second phase of registration will be blocked from accessing data services on November 20 and completely deactivated on Wednesday, November 30, 2022.
The Communications and Digitalisation Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, announced this in a statement issued on Friday, November 11.
She said an announcement will be made on measures to accommodate persons who do not have Ghana Cards to register their SIM cards.
This is expected to take place after ongoing consultations have been completed, she noted.
Currently, a total of 30,011,082 SIM cards have been linked to Ghana Cards, thereby completing the first phase of the registration process.
As of November 9, 20,892,970 subscribers had completed both the linkage and capture of their biometric data.
“One key reason why some of those who have linked phone numbers to Ghana Cards have been unable to complete the bio capture of stage two is because they used other people’s cards to link their numbers. This includes vendors who used the cards of others without the knowledge or consent of the card owners,” the statement said.
“Their inability to complete phase two attests to the robustness of the authentication process designed into the SIM registration architecture. It will flush out all fakes. You cannot use someone else’s Ghana Card to register your SIM,” the Minister outlined.
Ursula Owusu-Ekuful asked subscribers facing challenges in registering their SIM cards to contact the National Communications Authority (NCA) or their respective network operators for necessary assistance.
According to her, the priority of the Communications Ministry is to ensure digital inclusion and to provide a secure environment for Ghanaians to access digital services.
“The Ministry has been working tirelessly on the development and implementation of policies to this effect. We can all attest to the fact that there has been a noticeable decline in SIM-related fraud since the commencement of the registration exercise.”
“Despite the ample opportunity afforded all to complete the registration of their SIM cards, some who have the Ghana Cards and have begun the process have failed to complete the registration. That is their choice and we cannot begrudge them,” the Minister added.
The largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is set to begin its regional election conferences nationwide beginning today, Friday, November 11, 2022.
The party has asked delegates to play by the rules outlined.
Delegates in the Greater Accra Region will vote for the positions of youth organizer and women organizer at the Du Bois Memorial Center today.
At least 712 candidates will be contesting the various positions that are up for grabs.
This includes Chairman and Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Deputy Secretary, Organiser and Deputy Organiser, Treasurer and Deputy treasurer.
Others are Communications Officer and Deputy, Women’s Organiser and Deputy, the Zongo Caucus Coordinator, Youth Organiser and Deputy.
Elections have been suspended in the Bono East and Ahafo, while, in the Eastern Region, only the women and youth organiser elections will come off as scheduled.
Upper West Region
The election in the region will have a delegate list of 407 to make the decision.
Some key executives such as Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Organizer, Zongo Caucus, and communications officer positions are asking to be retained in their positions come Saturday while other incumbent executives have sought to seek other positions.
All Constituency executives are expected to participate in the elections but for Nandom where five Coptic members are not expected to vote.
Greater Accra
In the Greater Accra Region, the incumbent chairman, Kobina Ade Coker, who is seeking re-election, is being challenged by four other candidates.
They are a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Adentan, Emmanuel Nii Ashie Moore; Thomas Ashong; Kojo Obeng Berkoh and Michael Tetteh Kwetey.
A statement signed by the NDC’s Deputy Director of Elections, Daniel Amartey, said all is set, in terms of security arrangements, logistics and venues, for the regional contests.
The exercise will end on Sunday, November 13, 2022.
The Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) on Thursday, November 10, 2022, held a seminar for its Senior Command and Staff Course on illegal mining and its implications on security.
Forty-four officers drawn from Ghana, Benin, Botswana, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Togo participated in the academic and capacity building exercise.
In a presentation, themed “Illegal Mining (Galamsey) and the Socio-economic Impact on Communities, Optimising Gains and Mitigating the Wider Security Implications “, the Deputy Minister responsible for Mines, George Mireku Duker who spoke on behalf of the sector Minister focused on the Small-Scale mining in Ghana, its socio-economic impact on communities, interventions made so far by government, optimising gains, and mitigating security implications.
On the economic impact of small-scale mining, he said the sector contributes significantly to poverty reduction and stimulates economic growth in the local communities whiles serving as a precursor to the large scale exploration Companies.
Mr Duker detailed that the small-scale mining sector has provided direct and indirect employment to thousands of Ghanaians.
Notwithstanding these enormous benefits, the Deputy Minister lamented the challenges stifling the growth of the sector and threatening sustainability of the mining economy as well as the country’s security.
Whiles admitting the challenges confronting the country, he espoused certain measures rolled out by government to tackle the challenges.
He noted that these policies among others include the introduction of the Community Mining Scheme, purchasing of mercury-free mining equipment, strengthening the inspectorate department of the Minerals Commission, training of river guards and procurement of speedboats are already yielding positive results with the turbidity levels of polluted water bodies reducing now.
He emphasized that these measures will not only end illegal mining activities but also provide employment opportunities which will reduce possible security threats.
He assured that government will not relent on its effort and will continue to roll out interventions that will end galamsey.
He said government will continue to sensitize the public with the Nationwide Community Sensitisation program.
He said the authorisation of traditional rulers will now be sought before licenses are granted.
Present at the seminar were Col. Battor Bannah Director in charge of operations at the National Security who represented his sector Minister, Dr. Ken Ashigbey the Covener of Media Coalition against Galamsey, the Advisor on Mines to the Minister at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and other service Chiefs.
Efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions are on course as the World Bank is set to release up to fifty million United States dollars (US$50,000,000.00) to Ghana to fight carbon dioxide emissions.
Speaking at an event on Ghana’s Forest Solutions to Climate Change, Climate Change Manager of the World Bank, Mr. Erwin DeNys, noted that the payment is in
exchange for a six million hectare area of the West African Guinean Forest being predicted to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about ten million tonnes by 2024.
The event was organised by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources at the ongoing twenty- seventh session of Conference of Parties (COP27) of the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on Wednesday, November 9, 2022.
The gesture is to commend Ghana for being an important and active member of the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility since its establishment in 2008.
Ghana is one of the first countries to transition to emission reduction programmes and results-based payments, according to Mr De Nys.
According to Mr. De Nys, the nation will soon receive US$4.8 million for over 970,000 tons of confirmed and documented emission reductions between June and December 2019.
He mentioned that the payment will be used to reward stakeholders in emission reduction, and boost confidence in Ghana’s REDD+ process.
In order to further cut emissions and achieve social inclusion, Mr. De Nys added that Ghana will also profit from the World Bank’s Enabling Access to Benefits while Lowering Emissions (EnABLE) programme.
On his part, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, urged strategic cooperation to close the financing gap for climate change.
He emphasised that the current financial sources are insufficient to address the scale of the issue, and because the $100 billion climate finance pledge made in
Copenhagen was not met, there is an urgent need for stakeholders to collaborate in order to close the gap between ambition and action.
Mr. Jinapor called on governments and all actors to deliver action beyond pledges and declarations. “We are at a stage in the climate struggle where mere talk, commitments, declarations, and/or pledges are not enough.
Consistent with the clarion call of COP27, this is the time the world must “walk the talk” and get on with action and implementation of the many years of unfulfilled climate action promises,” the Minister said.
He said Ghana was committed to forest and nature-based solutions to climate change, which is evidenced by the over 547,000 hectares of degraded forests cultivated between 2017 and 2021, and the over thirty million trees planted under the Green Ghana Project, as well as the verified and validated emission reductionunder the Ghana REDD+ Strategy.
He expressed his confidence in COP27, which has been termed action and implementation COP, to deliver real action towards limiting global warming to the one point five degrees Celsius (1.5oC) target set out in the Paris Agreement.
The UNDP’s Principal Advisor on Climate and Forests, Tim Claris, who also spoke at the event, commended Ghana for its forest solutions to climate change and said the country deserves to be rewarded for actions being taken
in the forestry sector.
Telecom giant MTN has announced an increase in the price of data bundles, which takes effect on Monday, November 14, 2022.
In a widely circulated SMS text from MTN, it read, “dear Valued Customer, kindly be informed that effective November 14,
2022, data bundle prices will be revised upwards.”
The company, however, did not state the exact percentage of the price increase. Nonetheless, MTN stated that its 4G users would still enjoy a 50%
bonus for bundle purchases via the MTN app.
Currently, with GHC0.5, a customer can get 24.5 MB. With an amount of GHC 1 and GHC 3, MTN subscribers can enjoy a data package of 48.10 MB and 471.70 MB, respectively.
MTN’s upward review on the cost of data services, comes at a time when prices of goods and services continue to increase, pushing Ghana’s inflation rate
to 40.4%.
The new rates by MTN have been met with negative reactions from Ghanaians, especially on social media.
One Paa Kofi Tinagyei said, “I’m sure MTN Ghana sits around and asks, how else can we make the lives of Ghanaian Internet users harder. Otherwise, Eiiiii” Whereas Paul DestinyAmenuveve, Sepenyatso asked the rationale behind the new increment.
Unable to fathom the new increment he said, “MTN Ghana na here we reach? You can’t do this for sheege reasons. The data bundle nu edey use petrol?”
A US$150 million Indian Exim Bank facility is being arranged by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to support farmers across the country.
Answering questions on the floor of parliament, the sector minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie, noted that the money to be given out to these farmers is intended to establish Agriculture Mechanisation Services Centres (AMSEC) in every district.
This initiative, he says, will improve access to affordable agricultural equipment and mechanised services in the country.
“Mr. Speaker, this is intended to promote the establishment of private sector-owned mechanisation centres to support farmers,” the minister said.
The AMSEC initiative is to assist in providing mechanisation services to smallholder farmers.
According to the Agric Minister, this will not be the first time the AMSEC initiative will be implemented by the MoFA.
He said the ministry, since 2018, has imported various agricultural machinery and equipment from Brazil for sale to interested farmers at subsidized rates across
the country.
Dr Afriyie Akoto stated that farmers will have the services of mechanisation at subsidized rates.
Ghana’s consumer inflation has gone up by 40.4% between October last year and October this year, the Ghana Statistical Service has announced.
Presenting the highlights and headline figures for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and rate of inflation for October 2022, Government Statistician, Samuel Kobina Annim, noted that “Consumer Price Index for October 2022 stood at 144.4 relative to the 102.9 that was recorded for the same period 2021.”
“Using these two indices, the prices of goods and services for the month of October 2022 went up by 40.4 percent. This literally means that between October 2021 and October 2022, general price levels went up by 40.4 percent over the one-year period,” he added.
This comes amidst the fall of the cedi and the astronomical hike in the price of fuel, among others. The current inflation rate is likely to increase the amount of pressure on the central bank to keep raising borrowing costs, which are already at an all-time high.
Meanwhile, the Ghana cedi experienced one of its worst months on record in October, and by 2022, it will be worth about half as much against the dollar.
The World Bank has described it as the worst performing currency on the continent. Prior to the release of the October figure, the inflation rate in Ghana
for the month of September was 37.2%, suggesting the country’s economy, battered by currency depreciation and fiscal challenges, is not going away any time soon.
On a month-over-month basis, the inflation rate was 2.7% for the month under review, compared to 2% in September 2022. Compared to the previous month,
food inflation for the reviewed month increased by 43.7% on an annual basis.
A brief examination of the statistics also suggests that the cost of housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels is rising more rapidly in Ghana.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, the government statistician debunked assertions that his outfit is underreporting inflation figures.
This follows concerns that the current 40.4% rate put out by the statistical service could be hovering around 50 percent instead.
Moments after the announcement, Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, said the Service excluded the unofficial rates.
“Even though GSS says inflation is 40.4%, I feel inflation is in the middle of 100 because it doesn’t add up,” he stated.
Reacting to this, the Head of Price Statistics at the Service, Foster Adjaho, insisted the figures are accurate.
“We cannot take opinions away from people, but the reality is that the rate is 40.4%.”
“Completing inflation takes into consideration averages. So you might have a particular item that you have in mind which has gone up by 50% but then the official range is 40.4%”
Country Director of ActionAid Ghana, John Nkaw, has urged wealthy polluter nations to shoulder financial responsibility for the harm that climate change
causes to the most vulnerable and underdeveloped nations.
Addressing attendees at the National Climate Change Seminar in Accra, Mr Nkaw stated that the startling shifts in the climate are
having a toll on scores of farmers in vulnerable nations like Ghana, thus the need for developed countries to support vulnerable countries.
“These sad realities demand our collective action to prevent a further increase in the wealth gap. We must continue our campaign for the establishment of an
international financing facility to help vulnerable countries recover and rebuild in the aftermath of climate disasters,” he indicated.
However, he added that regular and diverse climate change research is critical to improving stakeholders’ understanding of adaptation. Engaging in such research, he said, will also influence private and public activities to attract investors to vulnerable communities.
“The net effect of ongoing climate change is affecting agricultural production. These changes have impacted negatively on people
already living in poverty, who have become vulnerable to prolonged droughts, floods among other climate-induced impacts,” he added.
The seminar helped to raise awareness of the effects of climate change on farm households, facilitate interaction with government agencies, and publish research findings on Ghana’s climate change situation.
Climate change, which impacts both developed and developing countries, remains one of the world’s greatest threats. Despite contributing the least
to existing global climate action interventions, Africa is one of the continents most vulnerable to climate-related disasters.
According to the most recent study from the UN’s climate panel, the harmful effects of climate change are intensifying faster than scientists predicted less than ten years ago.
It stated that while many effects are unavoidable and will disproportionately affect the world’s most vulnerable populations, governments working together to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and prepare communities for climate change could still prevent the worst outcomes.
According to the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the impact of climate change on agriculture and the environment was estimated at US$6.3 billion in 2017.
The African Development Bank has disclosed that the continent will require approximately $3trillion for climate adaptation programs by 2030 in order for
African economies to enact national commitments.
On the other hand, the World Bank report on Ghana’s climate risk profile predicts that the country’s average temperature will rise by 1°C to 3°C by mid-century and 2.3°C to 5.3°C by the end of the century.
It added that the country’s northern and inland areas are likely to be warm on a regular basis. Meanwhile, the World Bank has offered Ghana a $3 million grant to shield local communities from the impacts of climate change.
This was announced by President Akufo-Addo when giving a speech at Ghana’s pavilion at the ongoing 27th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP27), on Wednesday, November 10, 2022.
People present at the conference were Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor; Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, other state officials and the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Dr Kwaku Afriyie.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has, once, again called for the reform of the Security Council of the United Nations, describing the current structure as an injustice against African countries.
Speaking at an event organised by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, on Wednesday, 10th November 2022, in New York, President Akufo-Addo noted that the Security Council is constrained by its anachronistic structure and methods, which undermine efforts to tackle contemporary challenges in the most effective manner.
“The conversations around reforms, which have been going on for three decades without an end in sight, must, therefore, yield real changes to the structures of the Council to make it innovative in its approach,” he said.
According to the President, the current structure of the UN Security Council represents a long-standing injustice toward the countries of Africa, and the time is long overdue in addressing it.
“It is obvious that the contemporary world has moved on significantly from the post-1945 world, which gave rise to the birth of the United Nations and the structure of the Security Council. The world of 2022, and even less that of 2050, is not the world of 1945. The crisis of the multilateral financial institutions and the United Nations system, which were born from the rubble of the Second World War, is a deep crisis,” President Akufo-Addo said.
He continued, “It will continue until a fair system is put in place; a system that reflects the new balances, no longer based on who lost or won the Second World War, but on the major contemporary and future balances. These balances must take into account new realities such as demographic dynamics or access to resources, in a context of scarcity.”
In its current state, the President noted that the Security Council is finding it increasingly difficult to propagate the rule of law and democratic principles.
“The use of the veto as an instrument of great power and interest is denuding the Security Council of a great deal of legitimacy as the principal instrument for the maintenance of international peace and security. The African Common Position on UN Reform, based on the Ezulwini Consensus, is of even greater relevance today than it has ever been. It is essential that it be brought back to the centre of global discourse,” he stressed.
President Akufo-Addo was confident that it will only be through the reforms that are suggested in the African Common Position that will enable the Security Council to be effective in addressing the challenges of our time.
“And it is only through its effectiveness at maintaining international peace and security that the Council can remain credible, legitimate and relevant,” he added.
